Everything You Need To Know About Exercise and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Exercise and hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) recovery! It's a common question and concern: Can you exercise and still get your period back? How much exercise is too much when you have HA? We get these questions a LOT over here at the HA Society.
Because I talk about this topic A LOT across all of my platforms (Podcast, Instagram and YouTube). I’ve compiled every exercise-related blog post and YouTube video into one blog post to help you better answer that question for yourself.
Intuitive Fitness For Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery
So you just got your period back and you’ve put in SO MUCH work along the way! Now, you want to reintroduce exercise back into your life on a regular basis and you’re thinking– what if I undo all my hard work and lose my period again?
Or maybe you’re early on in recovery and want to try a massive reduction or change in exercise intensity to see if you can recover that way.
In this blog post I'm breaking down *MY* version of intuitive exercise and giving you some tips to help you incorporate an intuitive approach to exercise into your life.
Exercising While Getting Your Period Back (Hypothalamic Amenorrhea)
Can you exercise while getting your period back? This is a very, very finicky topic.
So, in this blog I’m going to give you some tips for dealing with a reduction in exercise, many of which will help people who are trying to quit cold turkey and those people who are easing off of exercise slower.
And because this is such a complex topic I have a Youtube video on it.
CrossFit and Missing Periods
I wanted to write this article because missing periods are a lot more prominent in the CrossFit and HIIT workout space than women are letting on.
In this blog I will cover why missing periods are so common in crossfit and tips for a healthy period while doing crossFit.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, Under-fueling, and the Endurance Athlete
This is a guest article by Kristin Fant, a Registered Dietitian and marathon runner based in Dallas, TX. She helps runners and triathletes build confidence in their training nutrition without the frustration of falling short or missing an opportunity to perform to their potential.
Kristin touches on the high rate of amenorrhea within the female distance running community, why it’s happening, the struggles of runners who choose to prioritize their health and how to navigate recovery as a runner.
It’s a must read for all athletes, competitive or not!
How To Know If You Can Exercise When You Have or Are Recovered from Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Is it safe for you to exercise when you're in hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery? The answer is...it depends. In this YouTube video I will break down which approach to exercise might be appropriate for you during recovery.
Can You Recover and Exercise If You Eat Enough Does Working On Your Feet Impact Recovery? + more
Listeners/viewers of my show send me questions in my DM’s @thehapodcast and @danisheriff . I answer them here and hopefully they help you! In this short Q&A session I cover the question “Is it impossible to recover your period when your job requires you to work on your feet and you’re eating enough?
How Much Walking Is Too Much? Alcohol during HA Recovery + The RESTORE PROGRAM!
Have you reduced your exercise, but now you find yourself walking a lot more? I mean like A LOT more? In this YouTube video Ashley and I dive into the question- How much walking is too much walking in recovery?
Exercise during pregnancy: What’s safe?
This is a common question for every woman who is pregnant. As a period recovery coach I get it 100% of the time, every time, that a client or member of The HA Society gets pregnant.
I actually have a LOT of in depth thoughts on this...so please humor me but also remember to use this video as a guide to help you make your OWN decision about exercise. These are just my thoughts.
Reasons FOR Exercise During HA Recovery…
Exercising when you're trying to recover from hypothalamic amenorrhea recovery can be nuanced. I'm going to cover some of the pro's and con's and let's see if it's right for you or if it should be a total no go.
Getting Your Period Back As An Athlete
Losing your period as an athlete is VERY common. It's called hypothalamic amenorrhea and I'm going to walk you through it today as well as what you can do to address it!
The Pill, Can I Get My Period Back & Still Exercise, Going All In + More
Listeners/viewers of my show send me questions in my DM’s @thehapodcast and @danisheriff and I’ve compiled all the common questions into a bunch of little topics regarding hypothalamic amenorrhea.
In this YouTube video I answer the below exercise questions (plus more helpful information you need for recovery):
1.Can I get my period back and still exercise?
2.How do I know if I'm ready to make changes/add in exercise after I’ve recovered my period?
Do I NEED to give up exercise to get my period back?! Hypothalamic amenorrhea!
Can you work out at all?! Like, seriously, can I do a little bit or...do I need to quit? What's the deal?
The short answer is...if you quit exercising then that's a pretty much foolproof plan for getting your period back. If you really, really think that maybe you don't need to go that "extreme", let's talk about that too.
In this YouTube video, I take you for a walk with my girl jazzelberry and we discuss this in depth for only 8 minutes.
Working in Fitness When You Have Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Working in the health, fitness and wellness industry can feel conflicting when you have hypothalamic amenorrhea. You can wonder...should I even be here if my health and fitness habits are contributing to what got me in the first place? Should I really be promoting and coaching this stuff?
Well, here is my take on the matter and hint: I think you NEED to stay exactly where you are.
Here’s the instagram post referenced in this episode!
Feeling Guilty for Not Exercising
I asked my girls on the Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Podcast Instagram page (@thehapodcast) what they'd like to hear more about – and many of them said “dealing with guilt for not exercising”.
In this YouTube video I talk about my favorite 6 strategies for coping when I'm feeling freaked out about a reduction in my exercise paired with an increase in my food intake!
Exercising While Getting Your Period Back
It's a common question and concern: Can you exercise and still get your period back? Is exercising while you DON’T have your period a good idea? How much exercise is too much when you have HA?
This is my experience with exercising and recovering from hypothalamic amenorrhea with 7 tips for helping you to cope with a reduction in exercise.
Benefits of Stopping Exercise, Bone Health , Dating with HA, & Sleep [Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Q&A]
Another juicy YouTube video packed with listener/viewers most asked questions.
And if you’ve been wondering “Is it beneficial to stop ALL walking/exercise for hypothalamic amenorrhea?” This video is for you!
All Your Questions About Life AFTER Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery
Have you ever wondered what exercise will look like once you recover your period?
This is a great question, because it can be anxiety inducing. I answer this question and more in this episode!
Intuitive Exercise for both Hypothalamic Amenorrhea & Pregnancy
In this YouTube video I'm breaking down *MY* version of intuitive exercise and giving you some tips to help you incorporate an intuitive approach to exercise into your life.
I'm 6 months pregnant at the time of recording this, but the exercise mindset and tools I've used from recovering from hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA), all the way through to pregnancy have remained the same!
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Q&A: Is it possible to recover with the minimum calories?
This is a YouTube you don’t wanna miss! It’s another Q&A session where I answer DM’s sent by the listeners/followers of @thehapodcast.
It’s filled with exercise questions such as- Can I do light bodyweight exercise? How much exercise is ok for recovery? Is it ok to exercise with a low BMI (>16)? And so so much more!
Working Exercise Back in AFTER Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
I've done a bunch of videos and podcasts about exercising with HA but today, we talk about when you're officially ready to work it back into your lifestyle in a more intentional way i.e. If you're an athlete who is ready to get back to training or an avid exerciser who is ready to get back into the gym WITHOUT messing up your hormones and causing your period to disappear again, this video is for you!
Q+A: All In, Losing Your Identity, Stress and Strength Training with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
In this YouTube video I'm answering more listener/viewers questions! Not only do we touch on whether you can exercise and get your period back at the same time, but the loss of identity when exercise is no longer the focus of your life.
I hope this provided you with a ton of value on your recovery journey! Remember, recovery and exercise advice is not one size fits all (I wish it was).
If you still have questions, you can take this QUIZ I developed that will help you decide if exercise is appropriate for you or not. Or if you need additional guidance and support, schedule a 1:1 consultation (Work with us) or join The HA Society.
